CHUCK: ‘Chuck vs. The Aisle of Terror’

Hey, CHUCK fans! Kath is traveling this week, so I’m covering the show in her absence, in addition to my usual SUPERNATURAL gig. And although I’m not on regular CHUCK duty, I’ve been religiously watching the show since day one, and bought five dollar footlongs along with everyone else at the end of season two, because I couldn’t bear to see one of my favorite series yanked from TV after that amazing “Chuck Fu” finale. So, now that I’ve established a bit of my history as a fan, let’s get into last night’s episode, shall we?

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SUPERNATURAL: Live Free or Twihard

It’s hard to imagine an SPN fan out there that didn’t really, really enjoy last night’s installment. In one of my favorite signature SUPERNATURAL moves, the episode started out hilarious and then progressed to scary, creepy and finally, intensely sad. Dean has finally reached the point where he knows with certainty that something is wrong with his brother, and it’s not something he can ignore any longer.

The cold open was pretty genius in both it’s spot-on recreation of the Twilight phenomenon and it’s send-up of the very same. I’ve never seen the movies, but I did read the books (yes, even that especially dreadful last one with the painful sex and fast-aging hybrid baby). The shoe-gazing hesitancy of the characters, always underlined by the girl holding herself back from her own sexuality and the boy trying not to both ravage her and kill her, was spot-on.

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SUPERNATURAL: Weekend at Bobby’s

This week’s SUPERNATURAL proved that Bobby Singer doesn’t spend his days away from Sam and Dean reading Raymond Chandler novels and making model airplanes, as you might imagine a grumpy older man who lives alone in the middle of nowhere might do. Instead, his house is hopping, with hunters and cops and FBI agents calling at all hours necessitating copious amounts of research and carefully concocted lies from the Winchester’s surrogate dad. While we’ve seen his multi-phone set-up before, we really got a sense of how hectic things can get for him, and in one of my favorite moments, how much work he has to do in order to be the bottomless barrel of information that the brothers rely on so often.

The episode also gave us insight into a couple of other recurring characters that we’ve come to know over the years. First, Bobby’s hunter buddy Rufus Turner, aka Luther Vandross, aka Ruben Studdard. He and Bobby make a wonderfully hilarious duo; one that I would like to see more of in the future if the opportunity presents itself. They had a great exchange after Rufus buried the monster he had killed on Bobby’s property, and Bobby later discovered the hole empty. Note to self: be very careful to follow the stabbing instructions when killing Japanese monsters.
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SUPERNATURAL: The Third Man

Wow – I know that the first two episodes were necessary in order to address last year’s SUPERNATURAL finale and set up season 6, but last night’s episode would have made a great season premiere. Lots of action, mythology, humor and of course, partial nudity. It was easily the strongest episode of the three we’ve seen to date, and if I had any doubts about how the season was going to progress before last night, they’re gone now.

Things were promising from the cold open, which featured one of the grossest deaths ever when a cop’s entire body disintegrated into blood (it was very reminiscent of the vampire “true death” on True Blood, no? Sadly, nobody’s going to be carrying this guy around in a glass urn). This was quickly followed by the death of a second officer, with a case of boils so extreme that they blocked his airways, suffocating him. Hopefully nobody chose to eat dinner while watching the show (but you know better than that by now, don’t you?).
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SUPERNATURAL: ‘Two and a Half Men’

After last week’s good but very disconcerting episode, I’ve spent far too much time trying to figure out what is going on with Sam, with the Campbells and with Domestic Dean. After last night’s episode, I’m no closer to a solid theory than I was a week ago, but on the plus side, there was a (partial) return to the old Sam and Dean dynamic that was clearly lacking in the season premiere.

As new showrunner Sera Gamble has discussed in interviews, season six is seeing a return to monster of the week type stories, but this year we’ll be seeing the origins of a lot of the monsters we’ve come to know and love. Last night this was true for an old favorite, the shapeshifter. It seems the Alpha Shifter (the first one ever), has been spending his time impregnating unsuspecting women and then returning when the babies reach the age of six months to claim them, leaving a trail of gruesomely murdered parents in its wake. It’s unclear what the shifter is collecting babies for (perhaps it’s trying to get it’s own show on TLC?), but this is just how shifters spawn.

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SUPERNATURAL Season 6 Premiere: ‘Exile on Main Street

It’s been a long summer without a Winchester fix, and I’ve thought more about this show than someone who doesn’t actually work for the show probably should.

After Kripke’s initial five year story arch came to a (very emotional) close, with Sam sacrificing himself to drag Lucifer back to hell and stop the Apocalypse – I kept thinking, where would they go from there?

When we last saw the brothers, Dean had settled into the simple life with Lisa and Ben, and Sam was looking in on Dean’s new life from the street outside. Was it really Sam? Was he possessed? How did he get back? These are the things I’ve been thinking about since May, and I know you have too.

We still don’t have a lot of answers, but so far, it seems that it really is Sam, back from hell. But it’s not the Sam we tearfully said goodbye to last spring; he’s cold, emotionless and seemingly indifferent. When he reunited with Dean after a year, Dean was in a tailspin and Sam acted like he had just returned from a run to Costco. I know that he has the benefit of being in the know, but you’d think finally being able to talk to his brother after a year would stir a little something in him.

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Are You Ready For SUPERNATURAL’S 100th Episode?

Here’s the deal SPN fans; due to unforeseen circumstances, I couldn’t get a post in about last week’s episode, and now that it’s Thursday, it’s a little late to do it. But, I had one written and there was a pretty huge OMG reveal at the end leading into tonight’s hugely anticipated 100th episode, so I’m going to discuss “99 Problems” briefly, followed by the promo for “Point of No Return”.

Sam, Dean and Cas found themselves facing off with the Whore of Babylon in a small town in Minnesota. My mind couldn’t help flashing to what my university women’s studies prof would have had to say about all of the gleeful excitement various (male) characters expressed over “killing the whore” and the misogynistic undertones involved with that. And then I thought about how I can’t hear “misogynistic undertones” without thinking of Clueless, and then I was just glad I’m not a women’s studies prof, so I don’t have to take things like this so seriously.

Anyway, here are the major highlights of what went down:

• Sam is really the only one left with any faith in stopping the Apocalypse and it’s painfully obvious now. Cas is a hot mess, Dean is unmotivated and resigned. It’s the end of the world as we know it, and they don’t feel fine.

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SUPERNATURAL: Dark Side of the Moon

“You gotta stop thinking of heaven as one place…it’s more like a butt load of places all crammed together. Like Disneyland, except without all the anti-Semitism.” – Ash; dead barkeep, angel whisperer, scientist, top snake handler.

Well, first let me briefly address last week’s episode, “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”, by saying that I was a big fan. It’s been well established by now that I love zombie movies, and so you can imagine how much I loved Sam and Dean fighting a town full of ‘em, complete with creepy dad-eating child zombie. Ew. On the flip side of all the fun shoot-em-up action was a very touching and heartbreaking story of Bobby being reunited with his (undead) wife. I was very happy with the way the show handled that arc, because I really didn’t want to see Bobby’s wife trying to kill him or doing gross zombie things, because I didn’t want Bobby to have to deal with that after everything he’s been through. You knew from the start that he was going to have to kill her by episode’s end, but the way it was done was very respectful, and honored the relationship that they had before he had to kill her the first time (after she was possessed). Let me just also add that Jim Beaver is fantastic. After everything he’s been through in real life, which you can read about in his book Life’s That Way, for him to take on this story could not have been easy and he was great.

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SUPERNATURAL: My Bloody Valentine

I love it when Supernatural gets creatively disgusting, and so obviously I loved this episode, because it contained about three or four of the grossest things I’ve ever seen on the show. I mean, which was the worst (and by worst I of course mean best)? Was it the adorable couple who chewed each other to death, bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase “I want you inside me”? Or perhaps Cas on his hands and knees stuffing his face with handfuls of raw ground beef? Even the mere mental image of a guy shoving Twinkies down his own throat with a toilet brush was enough to cause me to make a gag face. I think the winner though would have to be the diner cook shoveling hot fries into his mouth while his hands melted with burning oil, followed later with the entire upper third of his body bubbling away in the Fry-o-later. Who’s up for a bucket of extra crispy? Gah! Of course, my inner twelve year old was so giddy from the whole thing that I loved every second of it.

The show also brought the funny pretty hard, because laughter is the best cure for nausea unless you have access to a medical marijuana prescription. Cas’s vessel Jimmy really loved burgers, and so when Cas was infected with “the hunger” he went on a massive binge, demonstrating that angels are apparently equipped with the power of super-digestion (I still don’t get what happens to food when angels, vampires, etc. eat – I mean, it’s not like they digest. I do like when they can eat and drink and get drunk and so it’s probably best not to delve too deeply into the physicality of it all). This being a Valentine’s Day episode, the boys met up with a cupid (there are dozens, apparently) who was in town to play matchmaker to a few couples that heaven needed to make happen for one reason or another. Cupid was a big softie who modeled his affection style after Lenny from Of Mice and Men, and cried like Glen Beck when Dean accused him of turning the townsfolk into savages.

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SUPERNATURAL: The Song Remains the Same

I’ll just start by saying that I was one of the people watching last night who full-on loved this episode. Frankly, I was surprised to see that the internet is so torn on it, but that’s why we all have free will right? So that we can choose which episodes of television we love, or something like that? Anyhow, I loved “The Song Remains the Same”. First of all, Cas was back. Even in small amounts, I love it when he’s around and I love it even more when he’s confused about pop culture references. I especially love him when he’s threatening angel’s lives to defend Sam because “he’s my friend”. Can I get an awwwww? Second, any episode that kicks off with “Cherry Pie” is already ahead of the game.

A lot of people have said that nothing really happened in the episode, which is completely valid because, yeah there wasn’t much forward motion in the big story. However, I think that this was done on purpose. I mean, look at the title – the song remains the same. Factor in the discussions between Michael (more on him later) and Dean and Sam and Dean, and I think you get the point. The episode seemed to exist primarily to demonstrate that nothing is going to change the course that these characters are currently on. As much as they like to hold onto the notion that they have free will and can choose their own destinies, all signs point to no so far. And last night we got a big hint as to what might make them say yes to their would-be occupiers. Michael mentioned to Dean that he could save Mary and John. Sam later asked Dean if agreeing meant saving their parents, would he do it, and Dean didn’t give an answer. I could be wrong but this makes me think that this is what the angels will use to get the boys to crack eventually. We know from experience that they like nothing better than giving up their lives to save family members – why should now be any different? Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but that’s where my mind is at right now.

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SUPERNATURAL: Meat Swap

When SUPERNATURAL is firing on all cylinders like it was last night, it almost feels like a really awesome movie instead of a t.v. show. When I originally watched the promo for this episode, I have to admit that I wasn’t entirely feeling it but I didn’t worry too much. I have learned over the years that 99% of the time the forces behind this show don’t cease to amaze, and “Swap Meat” was no different. I said in last week’s post that I would have preferred if Sam and Dean were the ones swapping bodies, but there is no way the story could have been as epic if that had happened (though I do maintain that seeing their versions of each other would be excellent). As it was, there was some hilarious comedy and a healthy dose of really freaking high stakes to go along with it, not to mention a sprinkling of sad emo brother action (from Dean’s perspective, anyway). The only thing missing was Cas (who we haven’t seen by the way since before the holidays – thank god he was in the promo for next week, or I’d be getting very antsy right now).

Dean and Sam, aka Leather Jacket and Sasquatch, initially arrive in town to help their old babysitter with a little poltergeist problem, but this ends up being a minor detail in what becomes a giant fustercluck of a situation. But before things get scary, it’s pretty hilarious. Gary, a local teen who loves Star Wars and excels in school has been boning up on his witchcraft in order to (what else?) thwart his parent’s plan for him to go to M.I.T.. He gets pretty good at it too, and after spotting the Winchesters at the burger place where he works, manages to switch bodies with Sam when Dean’s not around. The scenes of Jared Padalecki as Gary were pretty awesome – especially any scene where he was admiring himself in a mirror. How funny to see the road-weary, seen-everything Sam so excited about ordering alcohol, or being hit on by an older woman at a bar.

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SUPERNATURAL: Sam, Interrupted

It’s been a long, long time since we last saw the Winchesters and at last they are back on our televisions. Let me preface this by saying that I really enjoyed the episode – it had a unique feel to it and some amazingly funny moments – but I have to say that I found it a bit jarring to go into such a standalone, light episode after the devastation of the fall finale. I know that the issues of the finale were acknowledged in this episode, but I guess I just felt like the first episode back would be a really, really heavy one after Jo and Ellen’s sacrifice and the implications of Lucifer and Sam’s discussion. Having said that, this was a solid hour of television that managed to both freak me the eff out and crack me up. Just how I like my Supernatural.

Well, we might as well get this out of the way, because I’m sure it’s what we’re all thinking: PUDDING!!! I mean, come ON. That was so out of left field and so funny that I think that the first time I saw it, my jaw just dropped. And then I laughed for about five minutes. I think it was the sound effects as Jensen was swinging to and fro that particularly got to me. It’s the small details like that that really show they care. In case anyone missed that scene:

Essentially, we had a monster of the week (a Wraith) that’s passing as human and has set up shop in a mental institution – a perfect ground zero for a monster that feeds on brain juice and needs a constant supply of crazies (because nobody questions a rash of suicides in a mental hospital). How disgusting was her extraction method?? It was like a unicorn horn gone evil. Things got even more disgusting when Sam broke the thing off and it was spurting blood and the Wraith started shrieking. Actually, things got really gross when Sam inspected the body in the morgue by inserting a probe into the neck hole (technical term) to find that the hole extended all the way to the brain – gah! For a minute I thought I was watching Bones or something.

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SUPERNATURAL: Abandon All Hope

Okay guys, this was a major moment in the SUPERNATURAL-verse and there seem to be a lot of mixed feelings and strong reactions from the little of the online feedback that I’ve seen. One thing is for sure – we fans won’t ever forget the episode where we said goodbye to Ellen and Jo, who, if they had to go, got a pretty amazing send-off. They kicked major ass and were far and away the big heroes of the episode. Jo saved Dean’s life and lost her own as a result. Ellen sacrificed herself to stay behind go out in a blaze of glory with her dying daughter and allow Sam and Dean to continue the hunt for Lucifer. We’ll come back to all this in a few.

Since Becky conveniently gave Sam a hot tip on the Colt at the end of last week’s episode, we begin this week with the Three Musketeers tracking down Crowley to go about getting the gun back. Cas finds Crowley closing a deal under a bridge with a big-shot banker. I guess even the government handouts weren’t enough for some and they had to deal with the big guy downstairs to get the job done (would anyone be surprised?). Cas reports that the deal is “going down” as he speaks to Dean – I love when Cas uses colloquial terms in an attempt to blend with Sam and Dean – it always fails but always makes me laugh. He follows Crowley to his palatial mansion that’s handily covered in angel-repelling graffiti, so Dean, Jo and Sam join the party since they can get past the gates while Crowley relaxes inside. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve come home from a long day at work, poured myself a stiff drink and sat back with a little Aaron Neville and some nice uplifting Nazi propaganda films. It’s the only way to cap off a day, really.

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SUPERNATURAL: The Real Ghostbusters

Howdy, partners! Well, “Changing Channels” had the esteem of being my favourite episode of the season for one glorious week, but alas, it is no more. Last night was an awesome blend of true hilarity and genuine scariness, while also seeming like a really nice mix of early SUPERNATURAL and the more recent seasons. On the one hand there was the old-school ghost story that kind of felt like seasons 1-3, along with a healthy dose of the ultra-meta self-awareness that they’ve been exploring since last season. From the second the Winchesters entered the First Annual Supernatural Convention I was hooked. I mean, you had a lineup of Impalas outside, loads of pseudo-Sam and Deans mulling around and whisper-talking to each other, and then the Scarecrow popped by with a beverage and some lame jokes. My heart leapt when I saw the angelic soul who had the forethought to honour the fallen hero Ash, complete with mullet wig and sleeveless flannel shirt. There’s a special place in heaven for people like that.

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SUPERNATURAL: Changing Channels

I’m really starting to run out of ways to say that SUPERNATURAL is awesome. Thursday’s episode was not only another fantastic hour but I agree with many others who called it the best episode of the season so far (in a season made of win). I would probably go so far as to rank it in the top five episodes ever. We got stellar comedy as well as some pretty significant movement on the mythology front too. In her post about the episode, Kath compared it to Buffy’s “Once More, With Feeling” in terms of tone which I thought was so apt. It really did have that outrageous comedic aspect combined with very dark, heavy mythology progression. I think Joss would approve. To mark the occasion, this review/recap is long, so get comfy before you continue.

We begin with an announcement that “Supernatural has been taped before a live studio audience”. And then, Supernatural the Sitcom comes on, complete with lame jokes, silly plots and cheery set decoration. But the best….the best was by far the opening credit sequence. It was pitch-perfect, from the font of the credits and the original song, to the shots of the Winchester brothers living their zany, hilarious, hunter lifestyle. Best shot ever? I say it’s a tie between the two-person bike, and Sam freaking out at the site of a person with a sheet thrown over them hiding in a closet. The whole sequence is the very definition of the phrase “instant classic”. Please take a moment to bask in the genius:

We flash back to two days earlier, in normal world (well, normal SUPERNATURAL world), which started innocently enough with a man decapitated either by a bear or The Incredible Hulk in his own bedroom. Wait…what? The Incredible Hulk, you say? Why, this sounds suspiciously like the Trickster, our old friend from Mystery Spot (Dean dies over and over and over again) and Tall Tales (alien abduction and probing, anyone?). Not to mention that Sam uncovers a stash of candy wrappers in the room, and the Trickster is a known sweet tooth.

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